From Out of the Darkness
by IheartJanto-X
Summary: alternative C.O.E ending, beginning with Ianto's death.
1. Chapter 1

_**Ianto Jones. My Ianto. He lay dying in**__**my arms as the alien gas overcame us. Gasping at the remaining air in the room, he choked out the three words I could never return;**_

"_**I love you"**_

_**And I loved him. Of course I did. But how could I tell him, knowing that I could never be what he wanted me to be? He would age, fade, wither and die, when I would stay the same, never getting older with him. I couldn't, wouldn't, condemn him to that. So, although I knew how it would sound to Ianto, I told him, **_

"_**Don't" **_

_**I saw my own pain reflected in his eyes as my harsh words registered with him. I could feel the gas choking me now, and I realised my death was near, as was his. I saw him fading, getting closer and closer to his end. My own death caused me no worry now, in fact I welcomed it. There was nothing I cared about more than the thing I was about to lose, not even my own life. I leaned in for one final kiss, praying that Ianto would understand, have some concept of how I felt, and slowly succumbed to the darkness again. **_


	2. Chapter 2

_**I awoke with a sharp gasp, pulled from the darkness yet again, wishing I could stay and escape the pain. For one fleeting moment, I hoped above all else I had been dreaming. That Ianto was alive and well, waiting to console me after another death like he always does. I kept my eyes closed for one more second, as if to prolong the realization of what i already knew; Ianto Jones, my gorgeous Welshman, lay dead next to me. **_

_**I sat up stiffly, and looked to my left. There, just as i knew there would be, lay a red body bag, identical to the one i lay in. I needed to look at him, to take in his beautiful face one last time. Slowly, sombrely, i unzipped the bag.**_

_**I found myself looking into the cold, dead eyes of a stranger. Instead of the angel's face I knew and loved, there lay someone i had never met in my life. But surely, if we had died together, Ianto and I would be placed together in the soulless room that held the many dead. So where was he? I silently checked the surrounding bags, looking in vain for the one face i needed to see, the one face I would never see smile again. I sat again, defeated and alone, waiting for some sort of relief from the gut-wrenching pain I felt. None came.**_


	3. Chapter 3

_**After sitting alone, reliving Ianto Jones' final moments over and over in my head like a sad movie, for what seemed like forever, I heard footsteps coming towards me. I thought to lie down again, to fake death, but what would be the point? There was nothing more they could do to me. I had lost everything I held dear. Death would be a gift, if I could stay dead. **_

_**I paid no attention to whoever was approaching, knowing that there was no one I wanted to see right now. No one but Ianto. The footsteps stopped and I found myself looking at a pair of worn down trainers. I looked up, tearful brown eyes meeting my own. I assumed she knew about Ianto's death, and I didn't have the heart to ask anyway. **_

"_**You OK, Jack?" Gwen asked, placing a hand on my shoulder. It was meant to be comforting, I suppose, but I exploded from her grasp in anger.**_

"_**Would you be?!" I yelled at her, " if you had just lost the love of your life?" **_

_**I regretted it immediately, knowing that Gwen was just trying to help. It wasn't working, but how could she know that? **_

"_**Sorry, Gwen" I said, standing to pull her into a hug, " I just don't know what to do without him" **_

"_**Let's go home , Jack" she said, reaching out a hand to me. I ignored it. I wanted the comfort , but not from Gwen. It wasn't right. It wasn't Ianto.**_


	4. Chapter 4

_**We walked in silence to the SUV, neither one of us showing any emotion. Swamped with confusion, I barely noticed as we drove out of Thames House and towards the docks. **_

"_**What happened, Gwen? Where is he?" I said, desperate for some sort of news.**_

" _**Never give up hope" Gwen replied " Never give up, Jack" **_

_**As far as I could see, there was no hope. Ianto was dead, the 456 would take millions of children, and there was nothing anyone could do about it. Gwen obviously had more faith than I did. For once, I envied her. **_

_**We arrived at our makeshift Hub, unsure of what to do now. All I really wanted to do was sleep, but I knew I would dream of him, of us. **_

"_**So what now, Jack?" Gwen asked, " Rhys still has the information" **_

"_**Tell him to come here" I said "It's over"**_

"_**What do you mean, it's over?" **_

" _**There's nothing else we can do, Gwen" **_

_**She looked at me, a shocked look on her face. " There must be a way!"  
she suddenly went quiet. "What would Ianto do, Jack?"**_

"_**Don't!" I cut her off, not wanting to think about that. She was right, of course. Ianto wouldn't give up, he'd find a way. **_

"_**No! Ianto would keep going, and you know it" **_

_**I turned away from Gwen, heading towards the back of the old hanger. God, I missed my office! I slumped on to the sofa in defeat, falling into some sort of unconsciousness at last. I heard Rhys call out to Gwen, something about finding someone on the way here. It sounded urgent, but I couldn't muster up the energy to go and find out. Gwen could handle it. But yet again, I found myself listening to footsteps as Gwen came running to me. **_

"_**Jack! Shift yourself!" she yelled at me, speeding back down to the door. **_

"_**Bossy cow" I muttered, slowly getting up from the sofa. "What is it now?" I asked when I got to where Gwen was waiting, not bothering to hide my disinterest. **_

"_**Fancy a coffee, Jack?" she asked. I stared at her in shock.  
"What the hell?!" I practically yelled at her. The world was quite possibly ending, and she was asking me if I wanted coffee?! **_

"_**No, Gwen, the last thing I need right now is coffee!"**_

"_**You sure about that?" Gwen looked at me, with a strange look on her face. It was as if she had been proved right about something hugely important, but I didn't quite know what. I suddenly heard another set of footsteps approaching. Gwen was looking over my shoulder, smiling wildly. I turned to ask what the joke was, what I was missing between them, but was stopped in my tracks. There standing before me, a coffee tray in his hand, stood Ianto Jones. My Ianto.**_


	5. Chapter 5

_**I'm dreaming. I cursed myself for being so weak, letting myself dream such impossible fantasies. **_

"_**Ianto?" I cried, unsure what to do. Knowing that I wouldn't fall into the dream again, I took in all of his appearance; smart suit, ice-blue eyes. I would remember every inch of him. I could smell him now, as I got closer. His warm, comforting scent of coffee and fabric softener. My imagination wasn't that good, I couldn't have dreamt him up so perfectly. I watched as he placed the steaming coffee cups down one by one, then stood to meet my eyes again. **_

" _**It's me, sir" he said, smiling at me, "really"**_

_**That did it. I closed the gap between us in a second, wrapping my arms around him as I'd never let him go. At that moment, I wasn't sure I would. He looked deep into my eyes, which were now brimming with tears, and kissed me. It was like he'd never left. It felt so comfortable, so familiar, and I never wanted to stop. An awkward cough from Gwen brought us back to reality, which earned her a glare from Ianto. I still couldn't quite believe it wasn't a dream, but, for once, I decided I didn't care. I was with Ianto, and that was all that mattered now.**_

_**It was time for explanations. Sitting on the sofa, never more than an inch between Ianto and me, I listened to the story of how my miracle had come back. **_

"_**I found him wandering on my way back," Rhys said," walking down the street like a bumbling idiot" he ended with a laugh, which Gwen stifled by hitting him with a pillow. "Not sure how he got there though" he added. **_

_**We all turned to Ianto, who suddenly seemed shy and unsure. I gripped his hand tightly for reassurance, and he smiled back gratefully. "I woke up in Thames House, with one hell of a headache! I was in a room, full of red body bags...." Jack shuddered at the memory. "I got up and walked toward the door, with no memory of how I got in there. The guard panicked, well who wouldn't with a dead man walking towards you, I suppose, and shot me" He stopped and undid his smart shirt, to reveal a healing gun-shot wound. I gasped and reached out to Ianto, afraid to hurt him but intrigued by his wound. It should have killed him, yet here he was. I glanced at him, ready for some explanation. "And that's how I knew," he turned to me " I'm like you now, Jack, immortal". **_


	6. Chapter 6

_**I stared at him, not quite taking it in. Gwen and Rhys were both lost for words. **_

"_**How...How is it possible?" I asked, trying to understand.**_

"_**I think it was when you kissed me, Jack" he answered , " You must have given me immortality too" My confusion turned into horror as I realised what I'd done.**_

"_**Ianto, I'm so sorry!" I cried. He looked at me, his face a mask of confusion. **_

"_**Why, Jack?"**_

"_**Well, you'll never get older, you'll have to watch everyone you love age and die!" **_

_**Ianto smiled up at me, "Not everyone. Anyway, I get to be with you, forever, not so bad the way I see it," he added with a smirk. As much as he tried to lighten the mood, I couldn't shake the guilt.**_

"_**Believe me, Ianto, immortality is a curse", I sighed, looking at the floor. Ianto kneeled in front of me and gently pulled my chin up so my eyes met his. "Captain Jack Harkness," he said, "sometimes, you can be incredibly thick!" I was shocked at the normally shy, polite man's tone. "I'm happy, because I get to spend forever with the man I love, and if you don't feel the same, then..." I cut him off by grabbing his face in my hands and placing my mouth over his. He caught on immediately, realising this was what I wanted; Me and him, forever. **_

_***** *** *** *** **_

_**The 456 were all but forgotten. But we couldn't escape reality for too long. Suddenly there was the sound of a car pulling up outside, and twenty soldiers burst in to the Hub, guns at the ready. They were followed by a very professional-looking woman.**_

"_**Hello, Jack, not dead yet I see" she said in her sharp voice. "Oh, I forgot, that's never gonna happen, is it?" she added, a smug look on her face. I felt Ianto's hand tighten on mine. Great, I love it when he's angry. **_

" _**What do you want, then?" I asked her, not really bothered with her answer.**_

"_**You" she replied simply, while the soldiers surrounded us. **_

"_**What are you gonna do with him?!" Ianto yelled. I was touched by his concern. **_

"_**Actually, Tea Boy, it's something he can do for us" **_

"_**His name is Ianto, and what do you mean?" I questioned the woman, feeling like I wanted to smother her. **_

"_**Well, according to a Miss Alice Carter, we need you" she didn't seem too pleased about that fact. I smiled at the look on her face. **_

"_**Ok, where do you want me?" I asked with a wink. She glared at me, and Ianto elbowed me in the ribs. I laughed out loud.**_

"_**You need to come with us, to find a way to stop the 456", she said. When I made no effort to move, she added "Right now!" **_

"_**Fine! Gwen, you're in charge here, we'll keep in touch" I said making my way out towards the car. **_

"_**We?" she asked. I turned to look at her.**_

"_**I just lost Ianto once, do you really think I'm letting him out of my sight?" I answered, then held my hand out for Ianto. He grabbed it, and we walked off together to save the world yet again. **_


	7. Chapter 7

**We arrived at a base, and followed the soldiers through to a room full of computers . There were only two other people in the room besides me and Ianto; A grey-haired man with a very pessimistic expression, and Alice Carter, who had apparently suggested that I come here. This surprised me, as usually she asks me to stay away from her and Stephen. On hearing us enter, she looked up and nodded in my direction. I smiled back, then turned to see the snobby woman come in, her high heeled boots clacking against the hard floor.**

"**Right, Captain, down to business," she said, "we know of no way to stop the 456 and as Torchwood are apparently the experts on these things, we called you"**

"**Well, then, what are we waiting for? Get us up to speed!" I said. It was the man who answered, his voice every bit as cynical as his face, " The 456 are named after a wavelength, which is very destructive. If we can find a way to reverse it, which is very unlikely, we could use it against them, otherwise we're screwed"**

"**Thanks for the vote of confidence!" Ianto muttered beside me. I smiled, then went to a nearby computer. Something Gwen had told me earlier occurred to me.**

"**Ianto!" I called.**

"**Sir" he responded. I sighed. How many times must I tell him to stop calling me Sir?!**

"**What was it Gwen was saying, about when Clem died?"**

"**That the 456 were doing it, using this high pitched noise, Why?"**

"**I'm thinking maybe we could use that against them, as a destructive wave," I told him unsurely. Then I realised a flaw in my otherwise genius plan. "We'd need some way to transmit it"**

**The grey-haired man stood up, "you have a way, and you know it" he said slyly. He was right. There was one way, but I couldn't do it. I couldn't be responsible for any more death. "No," I said, "I'll find something else."**

"**There's nothing else," he looked around the room until he found Alice, "sorry, kid" he snarled at her. She looked at me nervously.**

"**Dad, what does he mean?" she asked me. I glared at the man before answering. "Just ignore him"**

"**I'll find something," I muttered to myself. Ianto placed a hand on my shoulder. "What's wrong, Jack?" he asked, concerned. I turned to look at him.**

"**There is a way to transmit the signal, the same way they do" I said, keeping my voice lowered. I saw Ianto's expression change as he realised what I meant. "Children?" he asked. I nodded.**

"**But it would kill whoever we used, the frequency is too high for their brain"**

**Ianto was silent for a moment . I could tell he was trying to come up with an alternative. I could practically hear his wonderful mind ticking as he thought. Suddenly, his face lit up. "You say we need a child?" I nodded, "Then, let's make one!"**


	8. Chapter 8

I stared at him like he was out of his mind. "Ianto, is this some weird way of asking for sex, or something?!" I yelled, before remembering we weren't alone. Ianto coughed uncomfortably.

"No," he muttered, "I meant we could simulate a child's brain, then use that to send the signal."  
"Ianto Jones, you're a genius!" I said, hugging him. "Right, people, we have a plan!"

*** *** *** ***

After working non-stop, using just about anything we could find, we found ourselves with a basic mechanical version of a brain. "We need something to complete this circuit" I said, "something that uses time, kind of like a clock or...."  
"Or a stopwatch?" Ianto interrupted, reaching into his pocket to pull out his own silver stopwatch.

"There really are a lot of things you can do with a stopwatch!" I laughed, taking it from him to wire up into the mechanism. Within minutes, it was fully up and running. "Is everyone ready to save the world?" I asked jokingly. With a final look at Ianto, who was smiling encouragingly, I transmitted the signal. The machine shook as the high pitched sound echoed through it. A soldier ran in, shouting that Stephen was making the eerie, high pitched noise. It was working! After a few minutes, the machine stopped. The room was silent. We all jumped as a phone broke the silence, ringing loudly from a nearby desk. A soldier picked it up, and we all held our breath for news. He put the phone down and turned to look at us.

" The 456 are gone! The frequency worked, and they've let the children go!" The room erupted into cheers. Alice came up and hugged me, tears in her eyes. "Thank you, dad," she said, her voice betraying her emotion, " You saved us all." I grinned at her, then let her go. "Go get Stephen, I want to see my grandson" she nodded, then headed for the door.


	9. Chapter 9

I turned to find Ianto grinning at me. "What?" I asked, confused by the look on his face. "She's just like you, Jack," he smiled, "Caring, brave, rather charismatic..." I laughed, taking Ianto's hand in mine. We walked together, over to where the soldiers stood. "I think we're done then," I smirked at the woman in charge, "Good luck with the press!" She started to speak, but I turned away from her. Wrapping my arm round Ianto's waist, I steered him towards the door. "Ready to go home?" I asked him, grabbing my coat on the way out. "Almost," he replied, letting go of me and running towards the computer. He stared at him as he returned, wondering what had just happened. He grinned up at me, "Forgot my stopwatch," I laughed, entwining our hands again. "Good idea, Ianto, you never know when it'll come in handy!"

"My thoughts exactly, sir" he replied. I sighed at the "sir", but I didn't correct him. Not when everything else was so perfect.


End file.
